For the last few years I have be lucky enough to do monthly cooking demonstrations at my local farmers market to show market-goers various ways to use what produce is in season.

Saturday was the first day of June, and although the morning started out a little cooler than I anticipated, my freshly churned strawberry ice cream was a huge hit. I think my whole “team” was amazed at the demand for ice cream. We went through several hundreds of samples of the world’s simplest and most delicious versions of strawberry ice cream ever.

Most homemade ice cream recipes begin with a cooked egg custard blended with various ingredients, chilled, and churned. The recipe I used this week reflects the simplest definition of “ice cream.” I used a blender to puree fresh strawberries straight from the market, added some cream, and then tasted the mixture: depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you may or may not need to add sugar. I also taste for acidity, which brightens the flavors, so I added a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice to a few batches. I also varied the flavors I infused into the strawberry mixtures. “What ?, ” you may ask. “Isn’t strawberry enough?” Well, yes, pure strawberry ice cream is wonderful, but when there are a few options to enhance the greatness, why not try? I’ll explain these variations to come...

I remember in the summers of my childhood sitting on the porch with my grandpa, taking turns hand-churning fresh peach ice cream. These memories are a great thing to hold on to, but the devices that involve that much effort are something I’m willing to leave in the past.

There are many ice cream makers on the market these days. Ice cream machines can cost up to hundreds of dollars, but unless you are literally churning out gallons of the stuff, you need not spend that much. A cheap ice cream machine can be found at most big-box stores. A hand-cranked machine can be tiring, but today’s simple machines are electric only require the addition of ice and salt. Mine, for example, rather resembles a small trash can wearing a spaceship-looking hat with a plug. Expect to spend no more than $30 for years of fresh ice cream pleasure.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

3 cups strawberries, washed and hulled (if frozen, thaw first)

½-1 cup granulated sugar, more or less depending on sweetness of the fruit

2 cups heavy cream

Pinch kosher salt

Lemon juice, to taste

In the carafe of a blender, combine berries, sugar, cream, and kosher salt. Puree until smooth. Taste and add more sugar and/or lemon juice as needed.

Chill the mixture as long as possible, because the colder the mixture is before churning, the smoother the ice cream will be.

Page 2 of 2 - Add the mixture to an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions until semi-soft. If using a machine that requires ice and rock salt (aka ice cream salt) for the churning, occasionally tilt the machine to drain off any water, ie , melted ice.* After draining, add more layers of ice and salt, and repeat as needed.

Once the mixture is semi-soft, transfer to a container with a lid, and freeze until firm.

*Also note that when churning ice cream, rock salt or ice cream salt does not actually go into the ice cream mixture. I recently had to explain this to someone who I will never actually trust to serve me any food.

Strawberry Ice Cream Variations

- Substitute sugar with honey, agave syrup, or other natural sweeteners. Be sure to taste and adjust flavor before churning.

- Add additional flavors to the ice cream by first steeping ingredients in cream before combining. To do this, place about 1 cup of cream in a small pot or microwave safe container. Bring to a low simmer (or nuke until bubbly), remove from heat, and add ingredients, such as a few sprigs of an herb (mint, basil, rosemary, etc), a half or whole split vanilla bean, freshly grated ginger, etc. Let the flavors steep, like tea, for between 5-15 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer and combine cream with remaining cream before churning.

- To give your ice cream a slightly tropical flare, use full-fat coconut milk or a can of coconut cream (found in the international aisle or with the cocktail mixers) in place of or in addition of the heavy cream.

- If you’re feeling the need for a little umbrella in your ice cream, use the coconut variation above, and add crushed pineapple or pineapple juice.

- If adding alcohol to any frozen treat, keep in mind the freezing point of liquor is much lower than water or cream: that being said, add only small amounts to ensure your ice cream will set.